留学生企业与公司法论文案例：日本企业文化的法律实践为何发生了翻天覆地的变化?Changing Laws,Changing

The practice of law in Japan has changed dramatically over the past decade. This change has not been limited
to dusty legal textbooks – it has been part of abroader transformation in Japanese business culture. Tenyears ago, many clients in Japan had no idea what it meantto be an M&A lawyer. Now, business people here discuss poisonpills and triangular mergers in technical detail.
The year 2006 promises a continuation of the rapid transformationin Japanese law which has occurred over the pastdecade. You should not see these changes as only being ofinterest to the legal professionals appearing on the followingpages, for these changes will affect everyone who doesbusiness in Japan. These changes can help change the way you do business in Japan.
For example, the entire corporate law of Japan has beenrewritten over the past year, with the revised law to take
effect this May. While many of the changes are technical,the result is significant. In particular, it will be far easier toestablish and manage a Japanese corporation. As a result,foreign corporations doing business in Japan should reexaminetheir corporate structures and internal procedures toevaluate whether they can utilize the new laws to maketheir businesses more efficient and cost-effective.
Another major change taking effect this year is in mergersand acquisitions. Japanese companies can begin to acquirecompanies – foreign or domestic – using their own stock.
This change should accelerate both corporate restructuringsand the integration of global capital markets. Livedoor's disputewith Fuji TV was a dramatic opening act to a new eraof corporate acquisitions and shareholder activism in Japan,but was by no means the climax. Future deals may be lessentertaining, but they will continue to reshape the face oJapan Inc. in even more significant ways.Some changes in the legal and corporate culture may be
less welcome to foreign businesses in Japan. People oftencomplain that New York has too many lawyers and not
enough taxis, and that Tokyo has too many taxis and notenough lawyers. But changes in the legal profession – includingnew U.S.-style law schools – are increasing the number ofJapanese lawyers and expanding their role. More importantly,the government of Japan is adopting a more legalisticapproach as it tackles public policy issues. Environmental regulationand labor practices, for example, are becoming farmore complex and subject to strict legal review.
The law firms appearing on the next few pages are alldedicated to helping you understand the changes in
Japanese law and adapting your business to the new legalclimate in Japan. Both domestic and foreign firms in Japan留学生企业与公司法论文